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Navigation Safety Regulations, 2020 (SOR/2020-216)

Regulations are current to 2024-03-06 and last amended on 2023-12-20. Previous Versions

PART 2Marine Radiocommunications (continued)

DIVISION 2Technical Requirements (continued)

Marginal note:Supplementary VHF radio

  •  (1) Any supplementary VHF radio installation that a vessel is fitted with under section 205 must be functionally independent from the VHF radio installation required under section 204.

  • Marginal note:Source of energy

    (2) The VHF radio installations referred to in subsection (1) may be connected to the main source of energy for the vessel, but one of them must have another source of energy that is located in the upper part of the vessel.

Marginal note:VHF radio antenna

 The antenna of a VHF radio installation must be

  • (a) capable of transmitting and receiving a vertically polarized signal;

  • (b) installed as high as possible on a vessel and in such a manner as to provide an omnidirectional radiation pattern; and

  • (c) connected to the radio installation by the shortest possible transmission line.

Marginal note:Battery-powered VHF radio

  •  (1) If batteries are the main source of energy for a VHF radio installation on board a vessel, the batteries must

    • (a) be located in the upper part of the vessel;

    • (b) have sufficient capacity to operate the VHF radio installation; and

    • (c) be accompanied by a device capable of fully charging the batteries from empty within 10 hours.

  • Marginal note:Exception to paragraph (1)(a)

    (2) If it is impracticable to locate the batteries in the upper part of a vessel whose construction began before June 1, 1978 or that is less than 20 m in length, they must be located as high in the hull as is possible.

Marginal note:MF/HF radio installations

 An MF/HF radio installation’s transmitter on board a vessel must be capable of delivering 125 W peak envelope power at the output of the transmitter.

Marginal note:Beacon registration

  •  (1) The authorized representative of a vessel, or in the case of a pleasure craft that is not a Canadian vessel, the owner of the vessel, must register an EPIRB or PLB with the Canadian Beacon Registry, which is maintained by the Department of National Defence.

  • Marginal note:Updating the Canadian Beacon Registry

    (2) The authorized representative or the owner, as the case may be, must update the information contained in the Canadian Beacon Registry with respect to the registration within 30 days after a change in the information.

Marginal note:EPIRB and PLB — Type Approved

  •  (1) Every EPIRB and PLB must be of a type approved by Cospas-Sarsat as meeting the requirements of standard C/S T.007 entitled Cospas-Sarsat 406 MHz Distress Beacons Type Approval Standard, published by Cospas-Sarsat.

  • Marginal note:Type approval certificate

    (2) The type approval referred to in subsection (1) must be evidenced by a type approval certificate that is kept in a readily accessible location on board.

Marginal note:Replacing the automatic release mechanism — EPIRB

  •  (1) The automatic release mechanism of an EPIRB must be marked with the replacement date determined by the manufacturer and be replaced on or before that date in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

  • Marginal note:Replacing the battery — EPIRB and PLB

    (2) The battery of an EPIRB and the battery of a PLB must be replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions

    • (a) after the use of the EPIRB or PLB in an emergency;

    • (b) after an inadvertent activation of the EPIRB or PLB;

    • (c) if required as a result of an inspection or testing of the EPIRB or PLB; and

    • (d) on or before the expiry date indicated on the battery.

Marginal note:Replacing the battery — SART

 The battery of a SART must be replaced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions on or before the expiry date indicated on the battery.

Marginal note:Battery — survival craft VHF radiotelephone

 A battery used to power a survival craft VHF radiotelephone must

  • (a) if the battery is non-rechargeable, be replaced, on or before the expiry date indicated on the battery; and

  • (b) if the battery is rechargeable, be maintained in a fully charged condition while the vessel is at sea and the radiotelephone is not being used for communication purposes.

Marginal note:Search and rescue VHF radio direction-finding equipment

 Search and rescue VHF radio direction-finding equipment must

  • (a) be capable of receiving amplitude-modulated signals on frequency 121.5 MHz;

  • (b) be capable of receiving frequency or phase-modulated signals on frequency 156.8 MHz (channel 16); and

  • (c) provide an automatic indication-of-direction signal that is received when the source of the signal is located within an arc of 30° on either side of the vessel’s bow.

Marginal note:Reserve source of energy

  •  (1) If a vessel is required to have a reserve source of energy under section 217, the reserve source must be capable of

    • (a) being used immediately in the event of a failure of the main source of electrical energy; and

    • (b) simultaneously operating

      • (i) the VHF radio installation,

      • (ii) the lighting required under paragraph 217(1)(b), and

      • (iii) the radio equipment that the vessel must be fitted with under paragraph 207(1)(b), in the case of a vessel referred in that paragraph.

  • Marginal note:Capacity

    (2) The reserve source of energy must have a capacity to provide electrical energy for

    • (a) one hour, if the radio equipment is provided with an emergency source of electrical energy that meets the standards set out in TP 127, Ship Electrical Standards, published by the Department of Transport; and

    • (b) six hours, in any other case.

  • Marginal note:Electrical capacity

    (3) The electrical capacity of the reserve source of energy under distress conditions must, for the period prescribed in subsection (2), be equal to the total of

    • (a) one half of the electrical capacity necessary for the transmission of communications,

    • (b) the electrical capacity necessary for the continuous reception of communications, and

    • (c) the electrical capacity necessary for the continuous operation of any additional radio equipment or lighting connected to that reserve source of energy.

  • Marginal note:Independence

    (4) The reserve source of energy must be independent of the propelling power of the vessel and the vessel’s electrical system.

  • Marginal note:Simultaneous supply

    (5) The reserve source of energy must, for the period prescribed by subsection (2), be capable of

    • (a) simultaneously supplying energy to all radio installations that can be connected to the reserve source of energy at the same time; or

    • (b) if only one radio installation can be connected to the reserve source of energy at the same time as a VHF radio installation, supplying energy to the radio installation that uses the most power.

  • Marginal note:Electrical lighting

    (6) The reserve source of energy must be used to supply the electrical lighting for a radio installation unless the electrical lighting has an independent source of energy that meets the capacity requirements set out in subsection (2).

Marginal note:Reserve source of energy — rechargeable batteries

  •  (1) If the reserve source of energy consists of rechargeable batteries, a vessel must have

    • (a) a means of recharging the batteries from empty to the minimum capacity required within 10 hours; or

    • (b) for a vessel that is less than 20 m in length, a reserve battery of a capacity sufficient for the duration of the voyage.

  • Marginal note:Installation of rechargeable batteries

    (2) Rechargeable batteries that constitute the reserve source of energy for a radio installation must be installed so that they

    • (a) are maintained at all times at the temperature specified by the manufacturer of the batteries; and

    • (b) provide, when fully charged, the minimum number of hours of operation required by subsection 234(2), regardless of meteorological conditions.

  • Marginal note:Failure of electrical energy source

    (3) If a radio installation requires an uninterrupted input of data from the vessel’s GNSS receiver in order to function properly, the radio installation must have a means to ensure that uninterrupted input of data in the event of a failure of the vessel’s main or emergency source of electrical energy.

Marginal note:Assessments and tests before a voyage

 A radio operator must ensure that the radio equipment is in proper operating condition before the vessel embarks on a voyage.

Marginal note:Assessment of radio installation at sea

  •  (1) While a vessel is at sea, a radio operator must assess

    • (a) daily the operating condition of a radio installation; and

    • (b) subject to subsection (2), in the case of a VHF radio installation, MF radio installation or MF/HF radio installation, weekly by means of normal communications or a test call carried out within the communication range of either a radio installation or a coast station that is capable of DSC, the operating condition of the radio installation.

  • Marginal note:Test call

    (2) When a vessel has been out of the communication range of a radio installation or a coast station that is capable of DSC for longer than a week, a radio operator must make the test call at the first opportunity after the vessel is within the communication range of a coast station in order to assess the operating condition of the radio installation.

  • Marginal note:Testing transmitter functioning

    (3) A radio operator must, when testing the operating condition of a radio installation transmitter, use the antenna normally used for the transmitter.

  • Marginal note:Restoring to proper functioning

    (4) If an assessment referred to in subsection (1) or (2) indicates that the radio equipment or the reserve source of energy is not operating properly, the equipment or source of energy must be restored to its proper operating condition without delay.

  • Marginal note:Out-of-service radio installation

    (5) If a radio installation is out-of-service for more than 30 days, a radio operator must verify, within the seven days before the vessel embarks on a voyage, that the radio equipment is in proper operating condition and must enter that information in the radio log.

Marginal note:Radio equipment batteries

  •  (1) If batteries constitute a source of electrical energy for radio equipment, other than an EPIRB or PLB, they must be

    • (a) tested daily, to determine the state of their charge;

    • (b) checked once each month, to determine the physical condition of the batteries, their connections and their compartment; and

    • (c) sufficiently charged to permit the continuous operation of the radio equipment for the duration of the voyage.

  • Marginal note:Reserve rechargeable batteries

    (2) Rechargeable batteries that constitute a reserve source of electrical energy for any radio equipment must undergo

    • (a) a check of their capacity, once a year, when the vessel is not at sea, by fully discharging and recharging them, using normal operating current and their battery rating period, unless the battery manufacturer advises otherwise; and

    • (b) an assessment of their charge without any significant discharge of the batteries immediately before the vessel embarks on a voyage, and weekly while at sea.

Marginal note:Inspection and testing of EPIRB or PLB

  •  (1) An EPIRB or PLB, other than an EPIRB or PLB stowed in an inflatable life raft, must be inspected and tested by a radio operator on installation and at least once every six months after that, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

  • Marginal note:Inspection and testing of a SART

    (2) A SART must be inspected and tested by a radio operator on installation and at least once every six months after that, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

  • Marginal note:VHF radiotelephone testing

    (3) A survival craft VHF radiotelephone must be tested by a radio operator during each boat and fire drill held on board the vessel, if the radiotelephone has a power source that can be replaced or recharged by the user.

Marginal note:Radio inspection certificate

  •  (1) The following vessels, other than a Safety Convention vessel, must have a radio inspection certificate to engage on a voyage:

    • (a) a vessel that is 20 m or more in length;

    • (b) a towboat; and

    • (c) a passenger vessel that is engaged on a voyage any part of which is in Sea Area A1 or more than five nautical miles from shore on the sea coasts of Canada.

  • Marginal note:Safety certificate

    (2) The master of a Safety Convention vessel must keep on board any safety certificate issued under subsection 7(1) of the Vessel Safety Certificates Regulations that relates to radio installation requirements.

  • Marginal note:Inspection certificate — Great Lakes Agreement

    (3) The master of a vessel that is required to be inspected under the Agreement between Canada and the United States of America for Promotion of Safety on the Great Lakes by Means of Radio, 1973, must keep on board an inspection certificate issued by the Minister evidencing compliance with subsection 205(3) of these Regulations.

  • Marginal note:Issuance of radio inspection certificate

    (4) The Minister must issue a radio inspection certificate to a vessel if the radio installation meets the requirements of this Part.

DIVISION 3Radiotelephone Procedures

Marginal note:Application — Canadian vessels

  •  (1) Sections 242 to 248 apply in respect of Canadian vessels that are required under Division 1 of this Part to be fitted with radio equipment.

  • Marginal note:Application — foreign vessels

    (2) Sections 243 to 245, paragraph 246(1)(b) and subsection 246(2) also apply in respect of foreign vessels that are required under Division 1 of this Part to be fitted with radio equipment.

  • Marginal note:Application — sections 249 to 254

    (3) Sections 249 to 254 apply in respect of any vessel that is not a Canadian vessel in Canadian waters and in respect of any Canadian vessel that is required under Division 1 of this Part to be fitted with a VHF radio installation.

 

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